Past Events

Field trip to Trotters Gorge, Palmerston

This is part of a large conservation area accessed from Palmerston about 80 km north of Dunedin off Horse Range Road. This is a beautiful spot with impressive rock formations carved out of sandstone and conglomerate by several small streams that merge with Trotters Creek. The car park has yielded an interesting mix of exotics and is in turn surrounded by regenerating native bush and at its westerly end two tracks lead off into quite different vegetation types. The right leads across a shallow ford and follows a vehicle track (not for public use) up the valley of Trotters Creek. The vegetation begins with regenerating bush before opening out into a mix of open native and exotic areas and cliffs. The track is easy with a few shallow fords. The other track follows a tributary of Trotters Creek through a narrow gorge before climbing steadily to the top of the hills to give a good view of the surrounding areas. The descent begins with a brief, steep section leading more gently down to the first track whence you can continue up the track or just return to the cars. The vegetation is largely native. Interesting plants to be found are Teucridium parviflorum, Pimelea pseudolyallii, the locally endemic Celmisia hookeri, Notogrammitis ciliata and an unnamed Corybas orchid. Come suitably attired for walking and, if it's been raining, the uphill track may be slippery in places and the creek may be running high in the fords. Expect to return to Dunedin about 3:00 p.m. or whenever suits you. Bring a lunch. Foul weather back up date Sunday 8^th.

Geoff Baylis Lecture: Plant systematics research and its relevance to understanding the origins and evolution of the New Zealand flora

12^th Annual Geoff Baylis Lecture presented by Dr Peter Heenan, Landcare Research, Lincoln.

The science of Plant Systematics is concerned with naming and classifying plants. Its aim is to produce stable and reliable classifications and to provide knowledge of species' relationships. At times, modern taxonomic research has produced much confusion and some disquiet amongst lay people about seemingly arbitrary changes in plant names.

Dr Peter Heenan is one of this countrys foremost plant taxonomists and has, in recent times and amongst other projects, worked on the flora of the Chatham Islands and the predominantly New Zealand genus Pachycladon, a small group of mainly alpine plants belonging to the Brassica family.

In this lecture Dr Heenan will provide an overview of his recent and current taxonomic research. The scope of this research uses modern and traditional techniques to clarify and define species relationships and as a consequence gives valuable insights into the origin and evolution of the indigenous New Zealand flora.

The Geoff Baylis Lecture is held annually by the Botanical Society of Otago, in conjunction with the Department of Botany. It is named in honour of Dr Geoff Baylis, the first Professor of Botany at the University of Otago. In Castle 1 Lecture Theatre, University of Otago. Drinks and nibbles starting from 5:15 pm in the Castle Concourse.

Botany Dept 4th year research student seminars

A Department of Botany seminar. Nusyana Cham Pi, Chris Jenks, Cecilia Wang, Department of Botany. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St

Crouching mycologist-hidden fungi—intriguing interactions

A Department of Botany seminar. Dr Teresa Lebel, Landcare Research, Auckland. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St

Discovering how plants know when to flower

A Department of Botany seminar. Dr Richard Macknight, Department of Biochemistry. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St

A walk in the English countryside with Bradley Curnow

A walk in the English countryside is a presentation on the wild flowers encountered on a section of the Coast to Coast Walk through the English Lake District. I purchased a wildflower detective handbook at Ness botanic gardens near Liverpool and had a great time photographing the flowers mentioned in the book. I have also taken other flower/plant photos from that walk and from around the Gulf of Finland. I would also like to give a brief positive report on progress made to protect the Aramoana salt marsh. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Sonchus oleraceus—a good candidate for an antioxidant supplement?

A Department of Botany seminar. Dr Arlene McDowell, School of Pharmacy. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St

Field trip to Mount Watkin/Hikaroroa

Mount Watkin/Hikaroroa is a 616 metre peak located north-west of Waikouaiti. It is a volcanic peak surrounded by a schist landscape with fine views of Karitane and Waikouaiti estuaries. The DCC's 650-hectare Mt Watkin / Hikaroroa Reserve is regarded one of the best remaining examples of dry coastal forest in Otago. This trip will also look at the magnificent basalt rock glaciers and the higher slopes of the peak. Finding Gingidia grisea was a highlight of a previous trip (reported as Gingidia montana in Newsletter #37). This is the southernmost distributional limit for this north Otago endemic plant. Foul weather back up date Sunday 4^th August. Meet at Botany Department car park 8:30 am. Return 5:00 pm.

Painting a picture of Miocene subtropical Otago—forests and lakes, flowers and fruit, and invertebrates in amber

A Department of Botany seminar. Dr Daphne Lee, Department of Geology. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St

Ghoul fungi and other horrors: systematics of Hebeloma and Cortinarius

A Department of Botany seminar. Dr David Orlovich, Department of Botany. Union St Lecture Theatre, Cnr Union St West & Great King St.

Plants and vegetation of Dunedin 150 years ago

How did Dunedin look when Dunedin Botanic Garden was a seedling? We can't know for sure, but botanist Dr Peter Johnson can give us a really good glimpse into the past. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Field trip to Evansdale Glen

Evansdale Glen is a sheltered reserve north of Dunedin beyond Waitati. Vegetation is mixed kanuka broadleaf shrubland which has been extensively modified through human activity. We will follow the track up Careys Creek and continue up a leading spur to the Mountain Track Road; an easy, sheltered location for a mid-winter excursion. Foul weather back up date Sunday 7th July. Meet 9.00 am at Botany Department car park, 464 Great King Street.

Botany in the Deep South

Note this talk was originally scheduled for Thursday 20 June, but it was postponed to Wednesday 26 June 2013 due to the snowy weather. Brian Rance, a botanist and ecologist in the Science and Technical section of Department of Conservation based in Invercargill will provide a shorter version of the Druce Memorial talk that he gave to the Wellington Botanical Society AGM last year. Tony Druce botanised extensively in Inland Otago and Northern Southland. This botanically rich and geographically diverse area covers the drylands and block mountains of Central Otago to the mountains, wetlands and forests of Northern Southland. The talk will discuss Tony's work and will revisit some of the places and plants that Tony studied. It will also visit other places through Fiordland and Stewart Island including some alpine, wetland and dune areas. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.

Banks' Florilegium at the Hocken Library

Banks' Florilegium is a collection of copperplate engravings of plants collected by Sir Joseph Banks and Daniel Solander while they accompanied Captain James Cook on his voyage around the world between 1768 and 1771. They collected plants in Madeira, Brazil, Tierra del Fuego, the Society Islands, New Zealand, Australia and Java. See here for more information. Meet at the foyer of the Hocken Library at 9:30 a.m.

Above the Treeline and Beyond

A talk by David Lyttle on a series of botanical excursions around the South Island in the latter part of 2012 and beginning of 2013. The talk will cover visits to Mt Cook, the Craigieburn Range, Arthurs Pass and will include a trip down the West Coast to Haast that was undertaken as one of the Southern Connections pre-conference tours. The talk will be illustrated by photos featuring botanical and ecological highlights of New Zealand's mountains and forests. At the Zoology Benham Building, 346 Great King Street, behind the Zoology car park by the Captain Cook Hotel. Use the main entrance of the Benham Building to get in and go to the Benham Seminar Room, Rm. 215, 2nd floor. Please be prompt as we have to hold the door open.